Denny Hamlin issues verdict on NASCAR dropping Charlotte Roval from schedule

Denny Hamlin has given his take on some of NASCAR's bigger off-season changes, including the move away from the playoffs and toward a ten-race Chase.

The 45-year-old, who was just three laps from his first Cup Series championship last year before a late caution flipped the race on its head, also discussed the choice to make the Chase an all-oval affair.

It was confirmed this week that the second Charlotte race of the year will move off the 'Roval' layout and back to the traditional oval, a move the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran attributed to the strength of the Next Gen car on mile-and-a-half ovals.

Hamlin returned to the public eye this week at the Clash at Bowman Gray, after an off-season marred with tragedy as his father Dennis passed away after a house fire, with his mother Mary Lou injured in the blaze.

Hamlin in favor of NASCAR changes

“I don’t think it’s a secret that it’s all positive from me on these types of changes. Bigger sample size, less road courses, given my history, so those are all positive for me. But beyond myself, we need to talk about the sport and the racing in the Next-Gen car, especially the mile-and-a-half tracks, have been its strength.

"I was part of that battle with (Ross) Chastain and (William) Byron in the (Coca-Cola) 600 and just a fantastic race that nobody could hold the lead. You get out in the lead and your car would handle terribly, but when you were in second, it was actually better. That racetrack is too good of track.

"If you have any track that’s going to have multiple races at the same venue, same track, Charlotte would be one that you would think would be at the top of the list.

"Good to see that come back. I think it’s going to be on the fans to make sure you show up and support that. I think the drivers for the most part are certainly supportive of the change back to the oval. It’s what we are, we are oval racing.

"I definitely appreciate the changes we made over the last few years in the road courses and the different venues like Charlotte or the Chicago Street Race, which I thought was a positive for our sport. We look like we’re heading back to more of our roots, which is a I think a good thing.”